Penguin Beartown Paperback – 1 January 2019

Fredrick Backman does a very good job of making the characters three-dimensional and I felt like I was in the town and living through everythig with them. Absolutely loved this book and cant wait to continue reading this trilogy.Would suggest looking up trigger warnings before reading though.

To begin with, I became a fan of Fredrik Backman after I read “ A man called Ove”. I was not expecting anything less from this book too, and of course it surpassed all my expectations. Here is a book that teaches us about how far can we go to protect our families, family pride and community. It also makes you brood about the concept of community, the right doing and the wrong doing.A must read for people looking out for relatable stories.

I'm pretty surprised by the quality of this book. The other book I purchased along with this one from the same seller (cocoblue) was disappointing. But this one's quality seems to be fine. I'd say go for it.

“everyone has a thousand wishes before a tragedy, but just one afterward.” alright, how do i talk about this book without crying? it took me three long weeks to actually attempt to write this review. you need to read backman if you want to witness the utter vulnerability humanity brings. beartown like all of his other works, encapsulated the human experience so beautifully. from parenthood to family, friendship, love, loss, tragedy, community, hockey, sports and toxic masculinity. now listen, i'm lazier than a sloth and do not care one bit about any sport. but this book made me care about a snowy little fictional town where hockey lived in everyone's hearts. it made me love the players, the girls they happened to and the father, who loved hockey a little more than he should've. every single sentence hurt, and every paragraph was like stacking blocks of hope one upon another. beartown is not like backman's other books. its sadder, angrier, and has teeth. but it cradles your heart just the same. its a book you need to read to actually experience. no amount of reviews will justify it. when you read this, come armed with a highlighter, tabs, pens, etc., as you'll soon find that every page has a fantastic quote that is worth remembering for the rest of your life. at least i will. and in the meantime, if you need me, i'll be wallowing in a giant puddle of all my feelings and emotions like the fangirl i am. beartown forever 🤎 let me end this overly emotional review in true beartown style : this book demands only one thing from you. your all 🌨

"Community is the fact that we work toward the same goal, that we accept our respective roles in order to reach it. Values is the fact that we trust each other. That we love each other.For me, culture is as much about what we encourage as what we actually permit.” When I started reading this book, I was expecting a warm uplifting story of a small town hockey club like the previous works by this same author. Let me tell you, I was in for quiet a shock. The story begins in a small town called Beartown, which is largely dying due to the lack of oppurtunities and resources. The one thing that holds the town together is the hockey club, which is their pride and joy. The hockey players are idolised and treated like legends. Multiple characters who play a crucial role in the story are introduced in the beginning. We get to have a glimpse of their loves, their dreams, hopes and fears in the initial pages of the book. What follows after that is the incident, that impacts the entire town and shakes it down to its core. Its raw and its heartbreaking. It will test beliefs, loyalties and friendships. “Most people don’t do what we tell them to. They do what we let them get away with.” The story is told in a matter-of-fact almost detached style and that is what makes it so poignant and heart-rending. But even at the height of despair, there is always an underlying thread of hope weaved through the entire story that makes this book unputdownable. The true beauty of the book lies in that ray of hope which makes you laugh even in the midst of tears. Many serious issues like rape, bullying, small town politics and ostracisation are dealt with a lot of sensitivity and empathy. When I finally turned the last page of this book, it left me with a profound sense of hope which is the best possible thing a book can gift you. I highly, HIGHLY, recommend you to give this book a chance. I promise you, you won't regret it. Meanwhile, I will be counting down the days to the release of its sequel. Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A good novel and the typical Backman humour is there, though the tone is darker than "A Man called Ove" or "Anxious People". 4 stars because some of the characters remain undeveloped for most of the story and the same goes for the town's inhabitants at a general level. The epilogue is a bit confusing and doesn't really clear up what happened to the people involved.